


Of Chocolate Muffins and Video Games

by Mythica



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-31
Updated: 2016-01-31
Packaged: 2018-05-17 10:54:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,979
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5866621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mythica/pseuds/Mythica
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Oliver messed up.  He didn't tell Felicity about his son and she found out on her own.  She broke off their engagement leaving both of them feeling miserable.  Now they are both trying to find some way of feeling better, but sometimes all that is needed is the one you love.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Of Chocolate Muffins and Video Games

**Author's Note:**

> After seeing the flash forward scene from 4x10 I just HATE HATE HATE that the writers are going to break up Oliver and Felicity. With how wonderful they were written in 4x11, I just cannot believe that the story of Oliver's son is going to destroy what they have. If they're willing to give up over one bump in the road, then they wouldn't have lasted anyway. I refuse to believe that after what we've seen this season. They've been through too much to let this tear them apart for good.
> 
> So, because everyone knows the breakup is coming, this is just one idea of how they can come back together. (And the show writers BETTER have a plan to bring them back together... quickly!)
> 
> Oh and in this, Felicity is able to walk again.

The ringing of the doorbell made her look up at the clock. Shaking her head, Samantha got up from the table and walked to the front door. She had heard Oliver was always late, but when he came to visit them, he always seemed to be on time. She appreciated his punctuality when it came to his visits. Having someone come to be with William made it so she could get some errands done without having to bring him with her. Now that Oliver had been to their house a few times and she could see how they were with each other, she felt more comfortable leaving them alone. She never thought she would trust Oliver to be with her son. She was glad she had been wrong.

When she opened the door, she immediately noticed a difference in him. Usually he seemed so happy to be coming over to see his son, but today there seemed to be a cloud over him. He only smiled slightly as she let him into the house.

“Is everything ok?” she asked tentatively as Oliver stepped through the door. His unconvincing nod was enough to tell her that it wasn't, but he didn't seem to want to talk about it.

Waiting for a few seconds to see if he would say anything, Samantha looked at him in concern. When it was obvious he wasn't going to tell her, she indicated down the hall. “He’s in the living room playing a video game.”

“Thanks.” As Oliver walked down the hall, Samantha could tell that the spring that was usually in his step was gone. Ever since he had told her about his engagement, he had seemed happier than she had ever seen him, but now there was a profound sadness about him and she couldn’t help but be concerned.

She quietly followed him down the hall and stopped when she saw him pause right outside of the entrance to the room. He just stood there, watching William play, showing no signs of actually going in to see him. Usually when William was playing a game, Oliver would join him on the floor and either watch or join in on the game. It almost seemed like this time Oliver didn’t even want to be there.

Walking up beside him, she gently touched his arm causing him to look down at her touch. “Can I talk to you for a second?” she asked.

When he looked up at her, she indicated he should follow as she led him into the kitchen. Taking a quick glance at her son, she crossed her arms and kept her voice quiet as she spoke.

“What's going on with you?” she asked.

“Nothing,” he replied, letting out a sigh and pushing his hands into his pockets.

“Don't give me that,” she countered. “I can see something is bothering you.”

“It’s nothing,” he repeated. “I’ve just got… a lot on my mind.”

She just nodded as she uncrossed her arms. “I suppose there is a lot of pressure on you right now,” she observed, “what with the election coming up and your wedding.”

“There's not going to be a wedding,” he revealed as he crossed his arms in front of him and avoided her gaze.

Now she understood what his mood was about. “But the last time you were here-”

“She left,” he interrupted as he looked at her, trying to keep his emotions in check. “It's done.”

She looked at him in confusion as he put his hands on his hips and turned from her. When he turned back, he let out a sigh and a sad laugh.

“I messed up,” he told her, “just like I always do. I ruined the best thing to ever happen to me just so I could...”

He stopped mid-sentence as he took a deep breath and rubbed his hands over his face. “It doesn't matter. She's gone.”

“I'm sorry,” she said softly as she reached out to touch his arm. When he saw her reaching for him, he jerked back, putting his hands up in defense.

“Don't,” he said harshly. “You don't get to... Just... don't.”

As she pulled her hand back, she looked at him with concern as he started to shuffle his feet. “You know what? This was a bad idea.” Turning away from her, he started to make his way out of the house.

“Oliver…” By the time she managed to catch up with him, he was already out the front door and heading down the porch stairs. “Where are you going?”

He didn’t answer, but instead just made his way to his car. When he reached the driver's side door, he stopped and put his hands on the roof, leaning onto the vehicle as he tried to calm his breathing. Running out to him, Samantha stopped a few feet away, knowing he didn't want to be touched.

“William was really looking forward to you coming by today,” she offered, trying to find something that might help him feel better. “He has this new video game and he really wants to play with someone.”

“I’m sorry,” he said as he turned to look at her. She could see how red his eyes were from trying to keep his emotions in check. “Please tell William I’m sorry. Maybe another time.”

“Maybe spending time with him will help,” she suggested, taking a cautious step towards him. “He has an amazing way of making me feel better. Maybe he can do the same thing for you.”

“There’s only one person who can make me feel better,” he explained as he looked back to the car, “and she doesn’t want to see me.”

“Why don’t you give him a try?” she asked, moving up to him and gently putting her hand on his arm. When he didn’t pull away, she took that to be a good sign. “Come on.”

He didn't resist when she pulled him back to the house and led him back to the living room. This time when they entered, William turned and gave Oliver a big smile. Oliver couldn’t help but smile back as he walked over and sat down next to him on the floor.

“Your mom says you have a new game,” he told him.

Holding up a second controller to Oliver, William nodded excitedly. “Mom’s not good at video games and this one works better with two people.”

“Well, let’s see what we can do then,” he offered as he settled down and looked at the screen.

Samantha smiled as she watched them playing the game. She knew that some time with William would help him at least a little. After watching them play for a while, she felt confident that Oliver wasn’t going to leave, so she picked up her coat and purse and headed for the door. Oliver needed this time with his son, especially now. She just wished she knew what had happened.

>>>\--------------------------------->

Felicity let out a sigh as she stared into her coffee mug. She had hoped coming to Central City to visit with Caitlyn would help improve her mood, but it wasn't really working. Even the amazing coffee at CC Jitters didn’t seem to be helping. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a magic cure for a broken heart.

“Try this.” Looking up, she saw Caitlyn sitting down across from her, putting a double chocolate chip muffin in front of her. “I practically lived on these after Ronnie died.”

“I'm not sure any amount of chocolate is going to help,” she said sadly as she picked a piece off of the muffin. Putting it into her mouth, she savored the taste as she closed her eyes. “This won't hurt though... except for maybe my waistline. Not that I have to worry about that anymore. No trying to squeeze into a wedding dress for me.”

Caitlyn smiled sympathetically as she reached over to put her hand over her friend's. “Is it really over?” she asked. “You two seemed so happy together.”

“We were,” Felicity sighed, breaking off another piece of her muffin. “It was so... wonderful.”

“So what happened?”

Letting out a deep sigh, Felicity put her hands on the table and leaned onto her wrists. “He lied. Well, not outright lied. He just... didn't tell me something very important and then I found out and... yeah.”

“What did you find out?” Caitlyn asked, curious about what could be so horrible as to call off their wedding.

“He has a son.”

Caitlyn's eyes got wide as she sat up in her chair. “Really??”

“Mmm hmm,” Felicity replied as she picked at the muffin. “He didn't even tell me about him. I was going to be a step-mom and he didn't bother to tell me. No... he didn't _trust_ me enough to tell me.”

“Did this happen... recently?” Caitlyn asked, being careful not to try to assume anything.

“Apparently he found out a few months ago,” Felicity explained, “but his son is almost 10.”

“Really?”

“Mmm hmm.” Felicity sighed as she put another piece of the muffin into her mouth. “He didn't tell me until I confronted him about it.”

“How did you find out?” Caitlyn asked which just caused an incredulous look from Felicity.

“If it's on the net, I can find it.” Looking back to the muffin, she went back to her destruction of it. “I was just checking out a few things, making sure no one would surprise us with some scandal for his mayoral run and I found a story that hadn't gone out yet about someone claiming to have found an illegitimate child of his. I was able squash the information pretty quickly, but when I told Oliver about it...” Letting out another sigh, she looked up at her friend. “You should have seen his face. I could tell by the way he was looking at me that it was true.”

“He didn't try to deny it,” Caitlyn observed. “That's got to count for something.”

“But he didn’t even tell me!” Felicity said loudly. When she noticed people looking at her, she quieted herself down to a whisper. “I had to find out on my own. How could he not tell me?”

“Does it bother you that he has a son?” Caitlyn asked.

“Of course not,” Felicity replied. “I know that happened well before I even met him. I know all about his... promiscuous past. He had told me about a pregnancy scare, but he said she had lost it. He said she lied to him about it because his mother threatened her. I’ve been threatened by Moira Queen before. It’s not pleasant.”

“So this is just about him not telling you,” Caitlyn offered. “You’re upset that he didn’t tell you when he found out.”

“Why would he not tell me?” Felicity asked, looking at her friend for any kind of answers. “Does he seriously not trust me enough after all we’ve been through? I don’t understand how he couldn’t trust me with this. How can I be with someone who doesn't trust me?”

“Somehow I don't think it's about trusting you,” Caitlyn told her. “I've seen how he is with you. He loves you so much. I can't believe he doesn't trust you. Did he tell you why he didn’t tell you?”

“I didn’t really give him a chance to,” Felicity revealed. “I was so hurt. I just… took off my ring and left it on the counter and walked out. I guess I didn’t want to hear his excuses.”

“You still love him though.”

Letting out a huff, Felicity leaned back in her chair and ran her hands across her face. “Of course I still love him,” she agreed, letting her hands fall to her lap. “I just don’t know if I can trust him anymore.”

“Maybe you should give him a chance to explain,” Caitlyn offered. “He has to have his reasons. I know how much you two care about each other. There has to be a way to fix this, if that’s what you want.”

Felicity sighed as she started picking at her muffin again. “I don’t know what I want.”

“Yes you do,” Caitlyn countered. “You want to be with Oliver Queen for the rest of your life.”

“Yeah,” Felicity agreed as she broke off another piece of the muffin. “I really do. I just don’t know how to get past this.”

“Excuse me...”

Looking up from the muffin, Felicity frowned slightly when she saw a woman she didn’t recognize standing by their table.

“Are you Felicity Smoak?” she asked.

“Yes,” Felicity replied cautiously. She wasn't used to people coming up to her in public, especially in Central City. She was known well enough at home, but this was just... strange.

The woman smiled and held out her hand. “I'm Samantha Clayton,” she explained. “I'm a friend of Oliver's.”

Felicity smiled politely as she reached out to shake the woman's hand. She thought she knew all of the people Oliver knew in Central City. Just one more thing Oliver had kept from her.

“Nice to meet you,” Felicity said politely.

Samantha smiled nervously as she adjusted the paper coffee cup in her hand. “I sort of… over heard what you were talking about. I might be able to shed some light on it.”

Felicity looked at her suspiciously before looking over at Caitlyn. She didn’t understand how someone she didn’t know could explain Oliver’s actions to her. Then again, she didn’t know how well this Samantha Clayton knew Oliver either.

“I think I’ll just… head back to the lab,” Caitlyn offered, feeling like whatever conversation the other two might have should be done in private. “Call me if you need anything.”

Felicity gave her friend a smile and a nod before Caitlyn got up and walked away from the table. Still not understanding what was going on with the woman standing next to her, she indicated to the seat Caitlyn abandoned as Samantha sat down.

“So, how do you know Oliver?” Felicity asked as Samantha started rummaging through her purse.

“We knew each other… before,” she explained as she pulled out her phone. With a few swipes and clicks she found what she was looking for and set the phone down on the table. “About 10 years ago.”

The timeframe caught Felicity’s attention as Samantha slid the phone across the table. Felicity looked down and saw a photo of a young boy, smiling brightly. Her hand came up to her mouth as she recognized some of the features of the boy’s face. He looked just like Oliver.

“What’s his name?” she asked.

“William.”

Felicity smiled as she continued to look at Oliver’s son. “He has his eyes.”

Samantha just nodded as she looked at the photo. “That was just taken a couple of days ago. He looks more and more like Oliver every day.”

Felicity could feel the tears welling up in her eyes as she took a deep breath and slid the phone back over. “He’s beautiful.”

Retrieving the phone, she put it back into her purse before looking over at the other woman. “Oliver told us he was getting married,” she explained. “He showed both of us your picture and told us all about you. That’s how I recognized you. You should have seen his face. He was so… happy.”

Felicity nodded as she turned her attention back to the picked apart muffin. “We both were.”

“He loves you so much,” she told her. “I’d hate for you both to throw away your happiness because of something I made him do.”

A frown came across Felicity’s face as she looked at Samantha. “What?”

“I told him if he wanted to see his son, he couldn’t tell anyone about him.”

Felicity knew there had to be some reason Oliver didn’t tell her about his son, but she never imagined it was because he was told to. “Why?”

Samantha paused for a moment, considering her words carefully. “Did you ever meet Oliver’s mother?”

Felicity cringed as she nodded.

“When I got pregnant, Mrs. Queen had me come and see her. She offered me a lot of money to just… disappear. She knew Oliver wasn’t ready to be a father and she would do anything to protect her son. At the time I didn’t quite understand, but now that I have a child, I can. I told Oliver not to tell anyone to protect my son.”

“And how would him telling me endanger your son?” Felicity asked, feeling a little offended. “You don’t even know me.”

“But I know Oliver and his family,” Samantha countered. “After what his mother did to me before, can you blame me for being cautious? He has money and influence. He could take my son from me!”

“He would never do that,” Felicity reassured her. “He’s not the same man you knew.”

Samantha sighed and gave her a smile. “I know. I’ve seen him with William. He’s such a good man now and I think a lot of that has to do with you.”

Felicity shook her head as she looked down at her hands. “He’s done that on his own.”

“I don’t think you give yourself enough credit,” Samantha told her. “I knew the old Ollie. He was charming. It was hard not to fall for that. But he was also selfish and egotistical. When his mother contacted me and told me to tell him I had miscarried, it was almost a relief. I didn’t want my son being brought up in his world.

“Then a few months ago, he came to my house and confronted me about William. At first I told him that William wasn’t his, but it was obvious that he knew. The more I talked to him, the more I saw that he wasn’t the same Ollie Queen from a decade ago. He had grown into an amazing man who just wanted to get to know his son. But in the back of my mind, I still remembered Ollie and his mother. I was still scared. He begged me to let him tell you about him. When he would talk about you, his entire face lit up. I had never seen him smile like that. I could tell that he loved you very much, but I didn’t know anything about you. You could be just like his mother or feel threatened by me or my son. I just… I couldn’t risk possibly losing my son.”

“I would never take a child from his mother,” Felicity told her. “Or not let Oliver see his own son.”

“I didn’t know that,” Samantha countered. “Oliver said you were a nice person, but I didn’t know you. I just couldn’t risk it so I told him he couldn’t tell you.”

“Well, he listened,” Felicity told her as she threw the piece of muffin back on the table. She wasn’t feeling especially hungry any more. “And because he listened to you instead of trusting me, we’re no longer getting married.”

“And I know that’s my fault,” Samantha acknowledged.

“No,” Felicity corrected. “It was his decision. He decided not to tell me. He could have still done it and you would never have known. He chose to keep this from me.”

“Well, I think you and I both know he doesn’t always make smart decisions.”

Felicity nodded in agreement as she picked up the piece of muffin again. “No, he does not.”

Samantha smiled as she looked over at Felicity. It was time for her to try to fix this mess she had gotten them into. Picking up her purse she got up from her chair, the sudden movement causing Felicity to jump slightly.

“Oliver is at my house with William right now,” she told her, gaining Felicity’s full attention. “How about we go and pay them a visit?”

“He’s here? Now?” Felicity asked, getting a little nervous.

Samantha smiled and nodded as she adjusted her purse on her arm. “You should see him with William. He’s so good with him.”

Felicity nervously shook her head. “I don’t want to intrude on his time with his son.”

Samantha smiled as she walked over to stand next to Felicity. “I’m sure he wouldn’t mind.”

>>>\-------------------------------->

“I don’t think so!”

Felicity could hear Oliver laugh when she walked into the house. A smile came over her face as she followed Samantha, listening to the two of them as they played a game.

“Oh yeah!” The younger voice caught Felicity a little off guard as she walked up and stood next to Samantha as they watched them play from behind. She didn’t think either of them had heard them come in, they were so engrossed in their game.

“Now I know you have to be cheating,” Oliver accused. “That can’t be fair.”

“Oh, it’s fair,” William countered, still staring at the television. Felicity could see they were playing a racing game and it was obvious the younger man had a clear advantage.

Felicity could only see the side of Oliver’s face, but what she could see made her smile. He looked so happy playing with his son. She had only seen him interact with baby Sara so she really had no idea how he would be around a pre-teen. It warmed her heart to see him apparently so comfortable.

“No…” Oliver was trying to prevent William’s car from taking the inside track on the game. He had just moved ahead of him and he didn’t want to loose his lead.

“Yes…” With seemingly great ease, William angled his car around Oliver’s, clipping the back of it.

“No…”

“Yes…”

“Argh…” Oliver winced as William’s car smoothly passed his and made its way to the finish line, a full car length ahead of Oliver’s.

“Yes!” William exclaimed, throwing his arms up in the air.

Oliver dropped the game controller and looked at his son with a smile. “I still think you cheated.”

“You’re just a sore LOSER!”

Oliver laughed as he reached over and rustled William’s hair before patting him on the back. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Samantha standing in the doorway. Turning to look at her, he froze when he saw who was standing with her.

“William,” Samantha began, gaining William’s attention, “there’s someone I want you to meet. This is Felicity.”

William looked at Oliver, seeing the stunned look on his face. He remembered the photo Oliver had shown him of the woman he was going to marry. “Hi,” he said with a wave as he looked at Felicity with a smile.

“It’s nice to meet you, William,” Felicity said softly, trying to give her attention to the boy, but finding it hard to keep her eyes off of Oliver.

William looked back at Oliver and saw him just staring at Felicity. “Want another race?” he asked, trying to regain Oliver’s attention.

“Um…”

Sensing the tension in the room, Samantha stepped in to try to break it up. “William, why don’t you come and get a snack with me,” she suggested as she walked towards the kitchen. “I think we still have some ice cream.”

Dropping the game controller on the ground, William quickly got up and raced to the kitchen. “Mint chip?” he asked excitedly.

“Of course.”

Felicity laughed lightly as she walked more into the room. “He has good taste in ice cream,” she offered as Oliver stood up.

Oliver just smiled slightly as he pushed his hands into his pockets. “What are you doing here?” he asked tentatively.

“I was visiting Caitlyn,” she explained. “Samantha found me at CC Jitters. Apparently she recognized me from a photo you showed her. She sort of… overheard me talking to Caitlyn about… well, what happened.”

Oliver nodded as he looked away, his eyes going anywhere but on her face.

“She told me about what happened,” she revealed, taking a step towards him. “She explained why she told you to not tell me.”

“I was going to tell you,” Oliver told her, taking a step closer. “It’s just… I needed to find the right time.”

“The right time was when you found out,” she clarified for him as she crossed her arms in front of her. “You should have trusted me.”

“I know,” he sighed looking into her eyes. “And I do trust you. I trust you more than anyone I’ve ever known. I just… I didn’t know what to do. She wasn’t going to let me see my son. I had to…” Oliver stopped as he tried to find the right words. She deserved more than his feeble excuses. He had to try to make this right somehow. They hadn’t been apart for very long, but it was an eternity for him. Every day was another reminder of what his life would be like without her and it was almost unbearable. She was just too important for him to just let go. In the end, he knew there was only one thing to say.

“I am so sorry.”

“You know, part of being married is to help each other through things like this,” she told him as she closed the distance between them to a couple of feet. “I understand it was a shock, but I could have helped.”

Oliver nodded as he averted his eyes again. She could see the pain in his eyes as he avoided looking at her. Reaching out, she gently took his hand, interlacing their fingers as he looked back up at her. Feeling emboldened by her contact, Oliver reached up to gently touch her face. As he rubbed his thumb across her cheek, she closed her eyes and leaned into his touch.

“I’ve missed you.”

Felicity took a sharp intake of breath as she tried to contain her emotions. Closing the final inches between them, she wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him to her, resting her cheek on his chest. She let out a sigh when he wrapped his arms around her and held her close.

“I’ve missed you too,” she told him, holding him with all of her strength.

Oliver closed his eyes and let out a relieved breath before kissing her on the top of her head. “Please tell me we still have a chance.”

Felicity pulled back and looked into his eyes as she reached up to touch his cheek. She could see the worry in his eyes as he looked down at her so she did what felt right. Moving her hand from his cheek to his neck, she pulled him down to her and brought his lips to hers, trying to express the love and trust she had for him. When he brought his hands up to cup her face, he deepened the kiss as she melted into him. The kiss was almost desperate, an attempt to reconnect and find forgiveness. When she finally released her grip and pulled back, he kept her close, resting his forehead on hers. 

“I love you,” he whispered.

Sliding her hands down his chest she let out a sigh as she wrapped her arms around his waist. “I love you too.” Felicity hit his back lightly causing Oliver to jump. “I’m still mad at you though.”

Oliver couldn’t help but smile a little at her almost playful tone. “I know.”

“You better be ready for some serious groveling.”

“I’ll do anything you want,” he said with sincerity.

“Good,” she agreed pulling back to look into his eyes. “Because what we have together is pretty amazing. I don’t want to lose it because you decide to do something stupid again.”

Oliver smiled as he reached up to cup her face. “I can’t promise I won’t do something stupid,” he acknowledged, “but I promise I will never keep anything from you again.”

Felicity smiled lovingly as she held onto him tightly. “That’s a start.”

“William!”

Hearing Samantha shout for her son caused both Oliver and Felicity to look to the kitchen, seeing the young boy come running back into the room. Samantha followed quickly, stopping when she saw Oliver and Felicity in each other’s arms. “I tried to stop him.”

“It’s ok,” Oliver said with a smile as he squeezed Felicity tighter.

“Ready for another race?” William asked, taking his seat back in front of the television.

Oliver looked down at Felicity and smiled when he saw her smiling up at him. Giving her a kiss on the forehead, he broke away and made his way back over to his son. As he sat down on the floor, he picked up the controller, but paused before turning back to look at Felicity.

“You know who’s really good at video games?” he asked as he looked to his son. When William looked at him, Oliver just turned to look at Felicity. William looked back at her before turning back to Oliver.

“Is she better than you?” he asked in a teasing voice.

“Loads better,” he revealed, turning to see Felicity rolling her eyes.

With one last look at Felicity, William just shrugged before turning back to the game. Oliver held the controller out to Felicity who just let out a sigh and walked over to them. Moving over so she could sit between them, Oliver smiled as she tried to sit down in her tight skirt. Reaching up to take her hand, he gently helped her down, surprising him as she maneuvered to sit between his legs rather than sit next to him. As she settled in, she leaned against him, using his chest as a backrest.

“Remind me to wear pants next time,” she said softly as Oliver wrapped his arms around her waist. She felt him place a soft kiss on her head as she took the controller and looked at the screen.

“Ready?” she asked, looking over at William.

“Ready,” he replied as he gave her a smile. “3… 2… 1… GO!”


End file.
